Blooms (Digital) Taxonomy

we recently discussed blooms taxonomy in class and concluded that scaffolding helps students ease into learning. I agree that it will be easier for most students to know something about anything, before jumping in to a critical analysis. While brainstorming ideas for scaffolding my worksheet I stumbled upon this.

This wiki is geared toward 21st century Teaching and Learning. Blooms Digital Taxonomy in particular attempts to account for the new behaviors and actions emerging as technology advances and becomes more ubiquitous.

Grow A Game

after reading about Grow A Game, discussing it in class and playing it out, i still could not make a comfortable connection between play and lesson planning. i was overwhelmed by the assignment: to design a game that resulted in a lesson.  i was frustrated for the same reason that games are frustrating. obstacles! i considered working backwards the greatest obstacle i'd have to overcome. i was uncomfortable at first in creating restrictions on lesson plans (like rules of a game), until i realized the result of a well-constructed games is fairly unpredictable, unless you're playing with a cheater! my group members and i decided upon on a technique that is easily accessible and extremely open ended. We've decided on titling it The Magic Finger, because that is the tool used in retrieving ideas. Basically we will randomly place our pointer fingers down while flipping through a book, any book. This will be done 4 time, so that we can gather information for all 4 categories: (1) socio-political concerns (2) visual culture studies (3) material exploration (4) meaning making. That's really all there is to it, and the rest is up to the gamer. personal interpretation will guide the remainder of the lesson plan. 

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LESSON OVERVIEW: 

Students use reproductions of the symbolic dollar bill to explore and express their ideas about the value we place on money, individually and as a country.

so far, so good

is this art? tell me, iphone.

The Is This Art? iPhone application is a new tool designed for people who have questions about the artistic integrity of their surroundings. Using your iPhone's camera and a complex, revolutionary algorithm, we now have the ability to instantly provide users with an authoritative declaration of artistic importance.”

I found this application while searching an artist on Google. The first image I looked at in the Iphone archive was accompanied by a declaration that the piece was very expensive and therefore it must be art. The answer was obnoxious, though the image did show an expensive looking item, so this intrigued me; I thought it had potential. The next image I looked at of a self-portrait was deemed art, and the reasoning was: “I can’t find Waldo, therefore THIS IS ART.” This quickly proved to me how ridiculous the application was. However, I think this may be fun to use for an activity in the art room and may help getting students to talk about what society considers art and why. Breaking down the humor in some of the critique responses from the application may spark an interesting discussion with students. You can also submit your own art critique…

Some of the critique responses from the archive:

(1) This piece is very expensive, therefore THIS IS ART.

(2) This piece is not accompanied by enough obtuse wall text, therefore THIS IS NOT ART.

(3) I can’t find Waldo, therefore THIS IS ART.

(4) Minimalistically speaking, this is pretty minimal, therefore THIS IS ART.

(5) My mother would think this is crap, therefore THIS IS ART.

(6) This makes me feel intellectually inferior, therefore THIS IS ART.

(7) I could make this, therefore THIS IS NOT ART.

(8) This work manipulates reality in a realistic but non-manipulative way, therefore THIS IS ART.

(9) I do not understand it, therefore THIS IS NOT ART.

(10)Richard Prince would never appropriate this, therefore THIS IS ART.